After recently discovering the joys of Xtranormal, Friends of the Stars will now occasionally be communicating via the medium of cartoon. Here is Episode 1, which finds Craig housesitting for Elton John when he gets an unexpected visit from Executive Producer Robson, with hilarious conseq…..well, he gets a visit.
Warning: Contains swearing.
Thanks for the h-h-hyperlinks, Uncle Campbell
Hi-ho folks,
I finally remembered my log-in so I can unburden myself of things that my brain tells me all the time… that’s what the Internet’s for, right?
Things are progressing on the album front - most if not all of the recording is done now but we might add a few more sparkles before we start final mixing with the mighty @bethmcgowan
Other musical projects are being cooked up - more on them when it’s safe to break cover, but I can say that, at some point before we die, we might actually have a… gulp…body of work. Yikes but also hoorah! Hoorikes!?
Ok, the main point of this post was to recommend the Podcast Radio Spiritworld by the brilliant Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz .
I first listened to this a few months ago so it isn’t new but if you haven’t heard it, you have to. Even more than their two hilarious series’ of Look Around You…
…Radio Spiritworld somehow manages to spot-on spoof something that never existed.
I won’t spoil the Radio Spiritworld fun by describing this anymore because I’m pretty sure you’ll get a real kick from how original and weirdly familiar it is (maybe it does exist after all). Apparently they are making a series for Radio 4 too - well done the BBC, you big daft twat, you did a thing right.
Having said I won’t spoil it… if you, like me, scared the living crap out of yourself as a youngster by purposely listening to shortwave radio late at night, you will either be pleased or sent wimpering in abject fear to the corner of the room, curled up in a foetal ball, by this - a link to the entire Conet Project files to download.
Indeed, I dunno, you might even be pleased that you have finally found means by which you can send yourself to the corner of the room, wimpering in abject fear, curling up in a foetal ball (different folks etc…).
Good friend of FOTS, the venerable Dubber, has written about these Number Stations before- although that was probably five or six of his different blogs back (I cannae keep up with you Andrew old chap!). They also inspired one of the remixes he did for us a couple of years ago. No one really knows, verifiably, what they were (and, I think, still are) but it seems pretty clear they were a means of transmitting code between Cold War spies?… governments?…aliens?…the dead?
By the way… while i was writing the last bit, iTunes Genius decided to play - tcp d1 17 4 note rising scale irdial - you scary Genius!
Anyway, after I discovered Radio Spiritworld I discovered Robert Popper’s blog - a place of daily hilarity. (my new hero) Robin Cooper’s phonecalls and podcasts are a reason enough to explore and there’s lot’s more greatness therein… he even used a recommendation of mine a few days ago and was kind enough to mention our blog, thanks Robert.
OK, see you soon for the gig in November supporting Beth Jeans Houghton (I’ll be the one in a foetal ball!)
Stay great chums and remember, if you have kids yourself, blast The Conet Project into their rooms before they go to sleep every night - it’ll be good for them.
Nighty night …
Kids need shortwave radio to prevent them becoming in anyway involved with or the slightest bit interested in X-Factor
…beep…beep.. (Greensleeves played on a Glockenspiel)…beep…beep ..ACHT… zwei… sieben sieben… ACHT… ACHT… sieben.. ACHT
More nice stuff from the web…
Business Guys On Business Trips is a satire on the increasingly baffling/boring/stupid world of modern business. The simple line drawings it uses reminds us of the wonderful Get You War On.
(Thanks to also-great Intercourse With Biscuits for the heads up)
IWANTMYBEARSUIT is a website collection of weird and wonderful images from the internet. I am finding it mildly, pleasantly diverting .
Normally, school kids singing anything = rubbish, but this version of Bowie’s ‘Changes’ is ace in a Langley Schools Music Project kinda way
Tags: Changes, David Bowie
A few years ago I found an old wooden box in a junk shop. It was a very old box originally made to transport bottles and I bought it for a bargain £2. It looked like it might just be the perfect thing for storing 7″ singles and once I got it home and tried it out, I realised I was right - the box was indeed perfect. Even better, the handles in the side of it designed to make carrying bottles easy also made carrying the 100 or so 7″ vinyl singles it stored very easy.
A couple of months later, and after my brother-in-law had declared his admiration for my new lovely vinyl storage doohickey, I happened to find another one in a different junk shop. For another bargain price I bought that one and promptly gave it to my brother-in-law, safe in the knowledge that these things were everywhere and could be purchased from junk shops at will and as easy as Mantovani LPs and Dan Brown novels.
That was 6 years ago and, of course, I’ve not seen another one since. Junks shops, charity shops, antique shops…I’ve tried them all, up and down the land and even some abroad. I can’t find another one, and I need at least another three.
I’m not going to describe the box here, or mention the name of the company emblazoned along the side, or indeed tell you anything more about it. The reason for this is that I watch eBay like a hawk, biding my time, waiting for my chance to pounce, and I’ve probably said too much already…
In the meantime, the nice folks over at Analog Apartment - a website dedicated to the pleasure of all things vinyl - have discovered a possible interim solution in the shape of Colorado Record Crates.
I’ve seen a lot of modern vinyl storage over the years and generally it ranges from expensive to ugly via impractical. These Colorado boxes on the other hand are simple, pretty affordable and - to my eyes at least - classic and classy. They are handmade in Colorado (USA), available in a choice of 3 stains, are stackable (both as top loading and side loading boxes) and available in both 7″ and 12″ versions. The boxes are priced at $20 and $30 respectively and are available from Twist and Shout Records.
One day I’ll track down those elusive, ancient bottle boxes. They can’t hide forever.
Episode 18 of the Friends of the Stars Podcast is a PART ONE of TWO PART affair. Recorded just last week in the fine city of Glasgow, these episodes DO NOT feature Executive Producer Robson.
Wait….come back.
Containing tunes by David Bowie, Magnetic Fields, Kevin Ayers and Elvis Costello, “The No-Robson Club” finds Friends of the Stars members Campbell and Craig spending the afternoon idly considering exactly how many copies of their next album the band need to sell in order for all 5 members to live high on the hog. They also discuss the difficulties of having family and friends as your only ‘demographic’ or ‘target market’. As usual, the podcast contains swearing.
Listen:
TRACKLISTING:
Modern Love - David Bowie
Big Bird - Eddie Floyd
Cold Shoulder - Kevin Ayers
Joe Pye and The Weeds - Joe Pye and The Weeds
Veronica - Elvis Costello
Chicken - Geoff Mauldur
Our Love is Heavenly - Heavenly
Jamaica Say You Will - Jackson Browne
(Crazy For You But) Not That Crazy - Magnetic Fields
DOWNLOAD FOTS-POD#18 - “The No Robson Club: Part 1″”
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No opinions. No tales of ‘where we were when we heard’. No grief, no anger and no jokes. No comment needed.
Listen to this…
(Feed viewers: This is the full 6 minute 07 second, 12″ promo version of “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” by the late Michael Jackson. View it HERE)
Tags: Michael Jackson
It almost feels rude to intrude on this sweet, loving moment. …
Here we see Campbell and Executive Producer Robson gazing longingly into each others eyes as the sun sets on an early June evening in Birmingham. Feel the love, folks…
(FEED SUBSCRIBERS - CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTO)
Tags: Birmingham, Campbell, June, Photo, Robson
Friends of the Stars are a Country / Folk band from Birmingham, UK and have been Commercially Inviable since 2000
We are releasing records on our own Commerically Inviable imprint. The first album, "Lighting & Electrical" is available here and at various other locations on the net.
How we go about releasing our records and subsequent others remains to be seen, so this site will document that experiment, amongst other things. To writing, recording and performing we are now adding 'releasing records' to our list of activites.
We have been friends for a long time, playing and sticking together through thin and thin. We are prone to horrendous collective errors of judgement and have made some mistakes in our time. We'll no doubt make more of these in the near future. We also make some pretty decent tunes.
If you have any questions then please feel free to email info@friendsofthestars.co.uk and we'll get back to you.
